Sympathetic Doggie Ears
by BkWurm1
Summary: Chlark!- Chloe is doggie sitting Shelby and confesses her still very strong feelings for Clark to the dog's sympathetic ears. No way her secret can get out if Shelby is the only one she tells, right? (Hint: wrong!) **Set post series. Story prompt by Phillydragonldy from Live Journal's Smallville's Sunken Ship Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Username:** BkWurm1  
 **Username of the prompt requester:** Phillydragonldy - for Live Journal's Sunken Ship Challenge  
 **The prompt:** \- Chloe is dog sitting Shelby and decides to confess her still very strong feelings for Clark to the dog's sympathetic ears. Because there is no way the secret would get out if Shelby is the only one she tells...right? (Hint: Wrong.) No Clark or Chloe as puppies please.  
 **Title of the work:** _Sympathetic Doggie Ears  
_ **Pairing:** Chloe & Clark  
 **Type of fill:** Fic,  
 **Rating:** General  
 **Length:** 6500 words

 **Author's note** : _Set four years after Clark first put on the suit._

 _FYI, in this world, Chloe never had a child. (Hey, the series officially ended with no word on who that kid belonged to and "season 11" will never be anything more to me than Brian Q Miller's illustrated fanfiction!.)_

 **Sympathetic Doggie Ears**

"Shelby! Dinner time!" Chloe tapped her fingernail against the metal bowl and called the old golden retriever's name a second time. "Shelby!" This time his ears twitched and Shelby slowly rose from his padded doggy bed in the living room. With a slow, but steady, click clack of his claws against the hardwood floors, he crossed into the kitchen.

"There you are boy." He gently wagged his tail at her voice and when the scent of his waiting meal reached his nostrils, even picked up his pace a little. Chloe stroked his long honey colored fur a couple times before giving him a final pat and going to the sink to wash her hands.

"Sorry about that Shelby. If I'd been thinking, I'd have washed my hands before petting you. When I mixed your hard and soft food together, I got some of the …let's call it gravy, on my hands," she informed him. Shelby didn't seem to mind and, apart from again gently waving his plumy tail at the sound of her voice, didn't look up from his dish.

"At least you are enjoying it." In the note Lois left, she informed Chloe the specialized soft food was a necessary change to Shelby's diet. Ten years ago when the Kents adopted him, the vet said he was at least a couple years old and for full sized dogs like Shelby, twelve put him firmly in the senior citizen category.

"If you ask me, you're looking pretty good for eighty-four years old."

Shelby's new feeding requirements left Chloe concerned. Too much in her life had come to an end lately. Shelby, she hoped, would be around for a long while to come. Thankfully, he was in pretty good shape for his age. Slower yes, a bit wider across the withers, and sporting a snow white muzzle but he was still the same sweet tempered, empathetic listener she used to sit with by the fire and his eager attitude this afternoon proved he still loved his daily walks even if he no longer tugged her along the path like he'd done when he first traded country living for life in the big city.

She'd only watched him a few times each year, usually when the go to neighbor kid was gone a couple weeks at Science Camp or away with his family on vacation, but it was enough to keep their bond strong and she always enjoyed the change in pace. In Star City, the schedule she and Oliver once kept was not so different than the one Lois and Clark still attempted now. For Chloe, the enforced daily walks let her slow down and smell the fresh air even if the required daily jaunts out also came with clutching a stinky bag of warm poo.

Hey, everything came with a price.

She tried to talk to Lois about the cost of rarely being home the same time as Clark, but each time, Lois had shrugged and said they liked it that way and she'd worry later if it became a problem. Chloe tried to explain it didn't work like that but Lois was set on finding that truth out for herself.

If she hadn't already found it out.

Chloe kept her suspicions to herself, but she was too good an investigator not to notice last time she visited that all of Clark's belongings had been moved into the home office. So had a really uncomfortable looking futon. Six months later, both the open futon (complete with rumpled sheets and pillows) and Clark's things remained. How long had Lois and Clark slept in separate bedrooms?

It had been four years since Superman was first seen saving the world. Three years since Lois and Clark first attempted to reschedule their interrupted wedding and two years since they stopped trying. Since then, Lois like to point out marriage was left over from a time when giving daughters away was a legal transaction. Her other favorite saying involved how marrying Clark would technically be pointless since Clark Kent was no more than an alias for an illegal alien.

Chloe disagreed with both sentiments but related to obsessing on the technicalities. After all, technically, impromptu drunken nuptials between a vigilante billionaire and woman with no identity tended not to be recognized in official legal records which, Chloe reminded herself, simply made everything easier after she and Oliver also stopped recognizing it as a marriage.

What was it they said about going out on a whimper?

Technically though- yup, see, she knew all about technicalities – technically her pseudo marriage ended with a final bang not a whimper but when she couldn't muster up the energy to care about Oliver's infidelity, Chloe knew it was pointless to go on pretending. Oliver agreed, though he made a few pointed comments about pretending that she still thought were unfair but in the end, she knew he wasn't entirely wrong.

Was it a good or bad sign that Clark and Lois were still pretending nothing was wrong? In the past Lois claimed they had an understanding but it was one Chloe did not understand.

Technically, she promised to butt out. That didn't keep her from worrying since Lois called and asked her to stay at the brownstone for an indefinite period of time. The empty closet in Lois's bedroom had her even more worried. Worried, but that was it. Beyond worrying, Chloe was determined to stay out of it.

"I'm not sure why I'm here Shelby, but on the bright side, I get to spend time with you."

Almost done with his food, Shelby paused from licking the bowl clean and looked at her long enough to do this twitchy thing with his eyes that made Chloe swear dogs came with eyebrows. Skeptical, judging eyebrows that asked just with who she'd really hoped to spend some time. Chloe leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms.

"Fine, I wouldn't hate it if he stopped by but that's not why I moved back to Metropolis. Oh, didn't I tell you, Shelby? I'm back for good." His tail thumped against the door of the dish washer in approval making a hollow sound. It was a more pleasant response than the snickering, 'Of course, you are', she'd had from Lois over the phone.

"I'm telling you Shelby, I love my cousin but I understand her less and less. I thought she would be pleased. Maybe she was, I honestly couldn't tell."

Lois's reaction reminded Chloe of the birthday gift Lois picked out and gave to her when she turned nine, a subscription to the Daily Planet in her very own name. Chloe had been thrilled but Lois relentlessly teased her for wanting it in the first place. She ignored Lois, an ability that had saved their friendship on more than one occasion, but Lois's sarcastic 'Of course you'd like it' still rung in her memory. Chloe shook her head, trying to clear away the confusion.

"Well, never mind that now. I'm back and you approve, so that's good enough for me." Chloe tapped her index finger on the apron of the stainless steel sink. Shelby's approval really would have to be good enough; with the extreme schedule Clark had been keeping, there was no telling if he'd even pop by. She pushed away from the counter.

"Tell you what, how about tomorrow we celebrate by heading over to…what was it called? That coffee shop by the other dog park, the one that's not a show dog hang out." Chloe snapped her fingers. "Dog Perks! I can have my first welcome home triple mocha latte and you can have one of their Bowser Biscotti." Just saying the name made her laugh. "God, I love Metropolis. As soon as Oliver and I were over, I wanted to come back – even before that if you want the truth. I just couldn't until I came to terms with…things."

Shelby looked up from his now empty bowl, either to ask her to expand her vague comment or inquire after seconds. Before Chloe could determine the proper interpretation, the windows in the living room rattled. The townhouse came with delightfully old fashioned floor to ceiling double windows that swung open inside. She'd call them French doors if the panes led to anything more than the empty alley separating them from the windowless brick wall of the neighboring building. The other owners in the building boarded over the uninspiring view years ago but Clark had seen the potential and restored the original feature, making it perfect for Superman's discrete comings and goings. Even for superheroes, house hunting always came down to location, location, location.

Expecting to see him come flying in on the evening's air, Chloe whispered a breathless, "Clark," but the window's stayed closed. She wasn't the only one fooled. Shelby bounded over like he was twelve weeks rather than twelve years old. He wagged his tail so hard his whole rear end swung right to left. He yipped and whined, pawing at the glass.

"Oh sweetie, he's not here." She opened the windows and looked around just to be sure. Only the warm breeze blew in. "See, just the wind." Mournfully, Shelby whined and then laid down with a groan, his head resting on his paws staring out into the alleyway. Chloe sat on the floor next to the disappointed dog.

"You miss him too. Yeah, I hear on top of extra patrols, he's been busy building the Watchtower Space Station. At least that's almost done. I'm sure you will see more of him soon."

The eyebrows were back in action giving the woe is me, puppy dog look pooches made famous. He let out a heavy sigh and returned to staring sadly at the empty alley.

"Now Shelby, you can't slip into a depression every time the window rattles," she instructed. She ran her hand over the retriever's back. Over on the coffee table, pages from that day's newspaper stirred as another strong breeze blew in. Chloe snapped her head toward the window, scanning the alleyway.

Nothing.

She sighed and then laughed. She needed to take her own advice.


	2. Chapter 2

Clark stood on the roof next to the most recognizable object in the Metropolis skyline. Earlier, about an hour before quitting time at the Planet, Clark had changed into his blue and red uniform to deal with a mudslide in Colorado. At least this time no one died.

Later, after he stabilized hillsides and cleared roads to rescue stranded motorists, he called one of the officials from his cell phone and identified himself as Clark Kent. He got the quotes he needed to go with the details he needed to keep Perry White satisfied for at least one more day. He'd hate to lose the job at the Planet. These days it was the closest equivalent he had to down time. He was losing himself more and more to the man in the cape.

He was stuck in an exhausting rut. It wasn't even his city or the world keeping him busy. Actually, crime rates were at record lows in Metropolis and he wasn't the lone protector operating in the country. Even beyond the growing Justice League, more and more metropolitan areas came with their own watchful guardians.

A lot had happened in the past four years. Superman was a good thing, even a great thing, to the world, but being him took a lot out of him. Maybe Lois was right. Maybe with what he could do, he didn't have the right not to always be on call but his problem lately was bigger than exhaustion.

To be the man in blue, he needed to stay connected to the people but lately he felt like he was playing a part while numbness crept into his heart. He'd seen so much sadness. For all his abilities, he couldn't foresee disasters before they happened, which meant too often he was the clean-up crew, able to save the survivors, but not prevent the tragedy. Was that all there was to life?

The Justice League's new Watchtower was supposed to help. Eyes on the whole planet every second of every day. Computers processing data, looking for patterns and predicting what came next - a set up beyond anything that Chloe could have imagined. Though Chloe did have an awfully big imagination.

Not knowing Chloe's exact thoughts on the project bothered him. It was his fault. He'd been the one too busy to talk. It wasn't just Chloe. Outside of a passing conversation last week at work, he hadn't even talked to the woman with whom he lived.

Correction, with whom he used to live.

For that conversation, he'd made time. He'd told Lois it felt like what he wanted as Clark Kent didn't matter anymore and Lois informed him, in the long run Clark Kent _didn't_ matter and it was time he faced the truth. When he said he couldn't live that way anymore and needed to make changes, Lois said he could start by moving out of the bedroom. Then about a month later she delivered another change and announced come summer she was taking a year's sabbatical from the Planet and doing some imbedded correspondence piece with the Army. Something her father set up. Clark hadn't paid much attention beyond she was moving out.

He didn't try to change her mind.

She'd left a voicemail at work saying she had a house sitter for Shelby but again details were vague. He'd call the house tomorrow and let whoever it was know their services weren't needed. It was time to stop wasting time and actually start making some changes. Seeing more to Shelby was an easy one. Now he just had to figure out the rest.

What about tonight? There were no emergencies waiting. Chances were the Metro PD could handle any petty crimes that flared up. He'd finished the structural stuff for their Watchtower in the sky so he didn't owe Bruce more time but where else was he going to go? Why was wanting to make changes in his life so much easier than actually making them? Probably because these days he didn't have a life.

Warring with the feeling there was somewhere else he should be, he gave into the urge to take the time and just be in the moment. He was allowed that sometimes, wasn't he?

So what do you do 'in the moment'? You watch the sun set. So he stoically turned to watch the sun set over Metropolis. Ok, there was a reason sunsets remained so popular.

He hovered next to the Globe circling above the Daily Planet as the fiery ball of energy that fed him and every other living entity in the world sank slowly toward the horizon. Golden light stretched and changed, dipping into more intense hues; the reds and pinks blending with the blue light of twilight. Stone clad buildings appeared to soften. Shimmering glass towers glistened. Then as the last streaks faded from the darkening sky, the city came alive with a million pin pricks of light. If he blurred his eyes, it was like being on the farm looking into the south field and watching a blaze of fireflies congregate.

For a moment he felt it, that old thrill of being there, working at the Planet and living in the best city in the world. He loved Metropolis even if lately he'd had to repeat it like a fact rather than just feel the thrill, but then in the last couple years it had become easier not to feel much of anything. Still, something felt different tonight and it was more than just the clean slate Lois's departure offered.

No, he was not imagining it. Something _was_ different about the city, but not in a way that set the hairs on the back of his neck at attention. He opened his senses, letting them drift about. Maybe it was just being here, hanging off the symbol of the city that never failed to brighten Chloe's eyes. It was her city before it was ever his. Maybe that was it. Here next to the Planet's globe he could see the city as if for the first time. Just like on his eighth grade field trip.

He'd been to Metropolis before that trip, but he had never really seen it until he'd seen it through Chloe's eyes. In her excitement to be home, her normally mega-watt smile went nuclear, glowing as bright as that gilded globe she swooned over glistening in the sun. They'd ditched the science museum field trip and Chloe played tour guide for him and Pete. The science teacher busted them when they returned to the buses and they all got three weeks detention.

So worth it.

God, he missed his best friend. That was one of the changes he needed to make. He should never have let the distance get in the way and he wasn't just talking about the physical miles. Those he could bridge in a few minutes without even trying. For some reason, he'd let excuses pile up.

" _Let them have their privacy, Clark,"_ Lois said right after Chloe moved to Star City. _"You're just getting in the way and they're too polite to say anything."_

So he stopped dropping by. They still kept in touch with long emails and funny little texts. They saw each other at Justice League meetings and she visited Metropolis a few times a year though Lois usually claimed the majority of those as "cousin time". He thought after Chloe's split with Oliver things would change but even right after when she came to stay with them, Lois insisted he make himself scarce.

" _You being around is going to make her too self-conscious about her failure"_

He stayed away but as far as he was concerned, Oliver was the failure. And an idiot. After an incident at a JL planning meeting where Queen had been drunk and made some pointed and unfair comments, Clark had to walk away before he lost control. Since then they avoided each other. He was glad to hear the Green Arrow was still doing good, because the other guy, Oliver Queen, well he was a douche.

Bruce laughed, full on laughed aloud when he said it. The memory still made him uncomfortable, not just because of the strangeness of Bruce letting go and laughing that hard, but because he didn't entirely understand why he laughed so long and hard. When he asked the dreaded, 'what was so funny,' naturally all he got was a smug smile and 'one day you'll figure it out.'

So far he hadn't. He couldn't even figure out where to start to fix his friendship with Chloe let alone convince her to let him try to… Clark stopped his train of thought. It was pointless anyway. When was he even going to get the chance? After Chloe's break up, he thought he'd zip over all he wanted, but break ups came with their own complicated set of rules.

He couldn't comfort her after she was cheated on because alien or not, he was still a man and Chloe should be allowed to hate all man but after that stage, Lois insisted just dropping by would be too stressful though not much worse than putting Chloe on the spot if he tried to plan something ahead of time. Even in their once daily emails, he was instructed not to burden her with questions or spam her with advice or waste her time talking about the past and naturally, he was to avoid pressuring her about the future.

Suddenly his emails where nothing more than activity reports which prompted her witty warm rambles to become carefully composed masterpieces in the art of saying nothing. He'd screwed up all over again. Looking back, he couldn't believe the influence he'd ceded to Lois. He'd known avoiding Chloe wasn't right but somehow it had been too hard to argue with Lois.

" _She's my cousin and a woman and human. What would you know about any of those things?"_

Maybe Lois was right. What did he know about women or being human? But Chloe Sullivan? He did know Chloe Sullivan. He should have followed his instincts. He should have flown to her the moment he'd heard about the break up – no, he should have remained there for her still two years ago when Oliver first dived back into the bottle.

His absence was worse next to how supportive Chloe had been two years ago after he and Lois had quietly made it known their engagement was on hiatus. She never pushed, never judged, just offered to listen if he wanted to talk. He hadn't, not about his un-engagement, but she'd called more often and for a while, they'd talked every day, just like old times.

He should have kept calling everyday even after he'd heard reports about Oliver's drinking but Oliver was an unreasonable drunk and he'd thought keeping his distance would help. It seemed to at first but it wasn't long before Oliver's personal life spiraled completely out of control.

Clark tried again to bury his past regrets. He glanced over the city. He still felt that strange awareness, like something was just waiting under the surface and then it happened. The senses he'd left wide open, drifting from sound to sound, tuned in to one very familiar voice. He jerked his head to the side listening closer. He wasn't imagining it. Chloe was in Metropolis.

A smile curved his lips. Hers had been the first voice he'd heard with his super hearing and back in Smallville, she became like a default setting if he wasn't careful. His heart started beating faster. Numb? No he wasn't feeling numb anymore. Well, that answered the question about who Lois got to watch Shelby.

His smile deepened when he heard Chloe announce to Shelby she was back in town for good. Chloe was back, really back. Then his mind stuttered. Why would Lois after working hard to keep him from talking to Chloe simply deposit her on his doorstep? In a quick second he decided he didn't care. Chloe was here now so all he needed was a plan. If it took all night, he'd figure out how to make this right.

Maybe he should swing by the space station and tap into Bruce's strategic mind. No, he had a feeling if he asked for advice, all he'd get was more laughter. He could meditate in peace at the fortress but it was so far away and from that distance he'd barely be able to hear her heartbeat. Which reminded him, he was doing a whole lot more than just listening to her heartbeat.

Scanning for trouble was one thing. What he was doing right now wasn't any better than eavesdropping. He was about to change the station, so to speak, when he realized Chloe was now giving Shelby one of her patented Chloe pep talks. Grinning, he couldn't help but listen to its growing crescendo.

"I'll say it again, Shelby you can't slip into a depression every time the window rattles. I don't care how many times Lois called you girl or whether the fancy crowd at the dog park is packed with Bob Barker escapee studs that tease you for some selective surgery, you are a big macho boy dog not a love sick teenage girl, have some dignity!"

Clark laughed into the night. He started thinking about flying in and reminding her Drew Carey was now hosting every boy and girl's favorite game show to watch when you are at home sick (or in his case, at home pretending to be sick) but he hesitated. It had been forever since he'd watched The Price is Right. Did Carey carry on Barker's reminder to spay and neuter your pets? Before he could recall, he realized Chloe hadn't stopped talking.

"Don't give me that look. I am not a hypocrite. For one, I was a teen age girl and after being hopelessly in love with my best friend my entire life I don't have much dignity left."

Did she just say…

Suddenly, he was there on the roof of his townhome, leaning over the ledge so he could see light spilling from his unit. She had the windows open and he barely had to boost his hearing to make out each word.

He shouldn't be listening but he couldn't stop. He'd heard the cracks Oliver made but he'd been certain they couldn't be true. He'd messed up with Chloe so badly in the past, not just recently. He'd selfishly walked away when she needed him the most, pushed her to the side and treated her like nothing more than the personal search engine she'd once accused him of doing.

They'd only started getting back to normal when Fates Helmet forced her to leave. It took him too long to see how he'd tried to fill in her absence with Lois but it didn't work. It couldn't. No one could replace Chloe. She'd forgiven him by her return but she left again and while they resparked their friendship, he was always wanting more.

Maybe she'd felt same about him.

No, she couldn't have real feelings for him. Chloe more than anyone, knew he wasn't anything so special. It had to be a joke. Or maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. He wouldn't yet let himself hope for anything else.

He listened on, convinced her tone would turn sarcastic and since he'd already crossed any kind of privacy boundaries, he went ahead and added his X-ray vision to the mix. She was sitting cross legged on the floor next to Shelby, absently petting him while they both stared out the window. Shelby whined and leaned into her touch.

"Don't worry about me, boy. I've survived this long; and I swear, I'm not pining."

No, Chloe wouldn't pine away her life. That wasn't who she was. He was the moody one. Of course, Clark reminded himself, his funks never lasted long when he had her around.

"It's Clark I'm worried about. He's strong and fast and bulletproof and none of that means a thing other than as a means to help others. Our intergalactic traveler is so very human. He's all by himself. He's been distant lately and now I know why. It's not fair Shelby." Her voice wobbled. "She was supposed to give him all the love he needs and deserves. How could she leave him?"

Clark watched Chloe quickly swipe at her eyes. He was two stories above looking down so he couldn't see her whole face. Was she… He heard a sniff and watched her again run the back of her hand over her eyes. He had to look away.

He wanted to fly in and hold her, hold her like he should have held her all the times he'd left her hurting on her own. This time was almost worse; this time her tears were for his pain. He dug his hands into the stone ledge until the bricks beneath his fingers crumbled to dust.

"What's he going to do when he finds out Lois is gone? He's going to blame himself. Believe me on this. I _know_ I didn't force those bottles down Oliver's throat and I still can't shake that 'what if I'd only' feeling; now imagine how bad it's going to be for Clark. He already carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Is that why he's been keeping such an impossible schedule? Is he unconsciously trying to punish himself?"

Clark stared out at the city in front of him. Was he? Was that why he was having so much trouble reclaiming a life? Or was he just waiting for the right motivation?

"That big dumb idiot."

She was right, either way he was an idiot, even if the way she softly insulted him sounded more to his ears like a term of endearment.

"Of course, who am I to talk? I should never have let it go so far with Oliver. I was over my denial by then. I gave him as much as I could, but it's not enough, It's never enough. Oliver, Jimmy, even Davis – they all knew I was holding back. All of them eventually figured out why my heart wasn't in it like they deserved."

Out of nowhere, Chloe snorted and then snickered. When she continued, she sounded a lot more like her normal snarky self.

"Ok, actually, I am not near enough depressed to count Davis, at least the one there at the end. I think I deserve a free pass on any evil, preprogramed, engineered, killing machines, not to mention I knew I was always pretending with Davis. I didn't want to be with Jimmy and for a while, I thought I wasn't with Ollie, but he always suspected and after a couple years he knew me well enough to see…ya know what, not going to wallow…anymore. That was over almost a year ago."

Clark frowned, wishing Chloe had finished her sentence. He just needed her to say again what he thought he'd heard before. What he was hearing now seemed to support it, but what if he'd misunderstood everything?

"And now, I'm in a good place," finished Chloe. "I just want to work, live in my city and have Clark back in my life again –no, I know what it sounds like, but I'm not so foolish to think I'm ever going to be that girl. But I can be Clark's friend again, a real every day in your life friend again. Texting, email and even calling isn't enough…though unless Clark changes his schedule I'll never see him." She grumbled.

"He may be damn near unbreakable, but he's not invulnerable. He's mentally running himself into the ground. I can't believe Bruce let him take double shifts with the patrolling and working on the space station. That stops now even if I have to dust of my voting rights. A founding member enjoys some perks.

And back to the more pressing problem. I know I said I'd stay out of it, but I can't just sit here and do nothing. Do I call him? Do I call someone at the League he can punch? How do I break it to him Lois left?"

"You don't have to."

"Clark!"

Chloe called his name, scrambling to her feet as his scarlet cape fluttered to a stop. Shelby jumped up as well. His faithful friend butted his head against his legs until he gave the ecstatic retriever a good scratching behind the ears and a series of pats over his furry body. Shelby wriggled closer, leaning into him and looking up at him with his tongue lolling out while his tail thumped on the floor.

"Hey Shelby, how's my boy? Are you happy to see me?"

Chloe bit her lower lip, trying to contain a grin that threatened to match Shelby's look of pure adoration. "I think happy is underselling it," she said with a laugh.

The sight of her smile brought a warm ache to his heart. When he'd heard her bring up Lois's name again he hadn't hesitated; he flew in before she could become upset again. He hated seeing her unhappy and he hated even more being the reason.

"How about you? Are you happy to see me?" He asked, still uncertain about what he'd heard.

She rushed to give him a hug. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying her softness and breathing in her scent. He would have kept her in his arms forever if he'd had the choice, but when she sighed and stepped back, he let her go.

"You know about Lois?" She asked.

Clark nodded.

"I'm so sorry. She never said a thing."

"Sometimes there is nothing left to say," he told her. And sometimes, there were a million things to say. Where to start? "I'm fine. I knew Lois was going months ago."

"Months ago? Is…is that when you moved...never mind," Chloe spun away as she hastened to drop the potentially intrusive question but Clark gently caught her hand, keeping her from going. She peered at him from over her shoulder.

"Chloe, Lois and I have been nothing more than roommates for nearly a year."

She glanced away and then down at the floor, but didn't try to free her hand.

"It's really none of my business. I shouldn't have…"

Clark cut her off.

"I want you to know. And even though I know it's none of _my_ business," he paused for a second to work up his courage, then went forward. Four years without Chloe by his side was long enough. "I was hoping you'd tell me what it was that Oliver saw." Chloe scrunched up her forehead in confusion. "You told Shelby that Oliver always suspected but that two years ago he knew you well enough to see something. What did he see?"

Chloe went white and snatched her hand free. He let her go but immediately felt coldness where her palm had rested.

"Wait, you heard that? Oh, god!" She jerked back, aghast as the possibilities played out in her mind. "How much did you hear? How long were you paying attention?"

Clark thought about all the mistakes and wasted years and shook his head. "Not for nearly long enough. Is it true, what Oliver keeps saying?" He asked, taking a step toward her, unable to keep his hope down any longer.

"I don't mean the story he told about us, I know you and I never did anything wrong, but what you told Shelby about being hopelessly…is that.. was that…no, why would you," he finished with a dejected slump of his shoulders.

He'd never seen that look on Chloe's face before, not when looking at him. Horror mixed with panic. He was a fool. He misunderstood the whole thing. He started backing away. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I should go."

"No wait!" Chloe leapt forward.

Clark braced himself, schooling his features into a blank page, waiting for the part where she let him down easy. He'd take it too, the inevitable offer of just friendship. He'd take whatever scraps she was willing to give, but she surprised him with a question instead.

"Why would I? Are you really asking me that?" Incredulity dripped from her tone.

"Chloe, you are beautiful, smart, and funny. You are the best person I know. All I do is ruin…,"

"Stop it," she ordered, a burst of her rare temper showing through. "Stop tearing yourself apart. And while you're at it, stop killing yourself with this ridiculous schedule. It's one thing for an emergency but that's not what's going on. Work, patrol, construction, work, patrol, space station. You're going to burn out. If you don't start taking time for yourself, I'm going to pull out the big guns. I will call your mother. Don't think I won't." Her cheeks were flushed. She was practically yelling at him. He felt a flare of hope.

"Are you really back in Metropolis for good?"

His abrupt change of subject startled her. Her temper faded as quickly as it had risen. Worry and fear and probably a dozen other emotions moved across her expressive face before Chloe finally nodded.

"I have an interview at the Planet on Monday." Then she looked around the town-home, suddenly self-conscious. Her flushed cheeks returned, as did some of the earlier look of horror, but this time Clark recognized it for what it was, embarrassment.

"I should probably find somewhere else to stay."

"I'd like it if you stayed here."

"Clark, it would be too awkward. Look, I promise our friendship isn't going to change, well I was hoping we could make it stronger but I know even though you are being incredibly sweet about what you heard, you are probably freaked out I'm here to stalk you like some crazy ex-girlfriend – which I never was. I mean…"

"I love you Chloe," Clark interrupted, but without missing a beat, Chloe continued unfazed.

"I know," she said. "And our friendship means the world to me as well, which is why I swear I won't let the fact that apparently I'm some kind of one and done double freak of nature encoded with swan DNA mess up what we have. I'm the one with the problem, not you."

He softly laughed and didn't try to hold back his growing smile. Chloe was still one of the brightest people he knew but it was nice to know she could be as clueless as him. He reached for her hands and tried again. "No Chloe, you don't understand."

"That's no reason to laugh at me," she told him sourly.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and tried to look serious but he knew he hadn't erased the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I didn't mean to, I just…," he couldn't help himself. He wanted to say it again. "I love you. There's so much more to say but most of that isn't important now." He wasn't sure if he was being clear but something of his intention must have been getting through.

He heard Chloe's heart rate speed up and felt a tremor course through her hands. With her forehead creased into a vee, she searched his face.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "What are you saying?"

Clark stepped closer. "I'm saying at the end, Lois and I disagreed on just about everything, but she did me the biggest favor by sending you to look after Shelby." Shelby barked at the sound of his name and they both glanced over at him. His head cocked to the side, the retriever was probably wondering why he wasn't getting more attention, but Clark shook his head.

"Give me a minute buddy. I know she already said it to you but I'm hoping it's my turn now." Clark turned his attention back to Chloe. She held his gaze as he brushed back a strand of her golden hair that had fallen forward on her cheek. He savored the tiny catch in her throat, a subtle gasp she made when his fingertips glided over her skin. "See, I've thought about hearing it so many times lately, I kinda want to make sure I wasn't imagining it."

"You want me to tell you I love you?" Chloe asked. Tears welled in her luminous green eyes. "That I've never stopped?" They glistened and fell, sliding down her cheeks to catch on the curve of her brilliant smile. "That I won't ever stop?"

"All of that would be nice."

She laughed, "What? Crazed confessions about swan DNA not enough?"

Clark sobered. "I'll take anything you give me. I miss you every moment. I miss everything about you," he confessed. "Most of all, I miss the man I am when I'm with you. Tell me I haven't missed our chance. If you want to take things slow, I get it, but…

"I love you Clark."

Man's best friend thumped his tail on the floor in approval and then wandered back to his soft bed by the couch to lie down. From what he could tell, it was going to be a while before his two favorite people stopped petting each other.

 **Author's End Notes:** _I realize that Oliver and Lois came off in this a little worse than I normally try to write them. For Oliver it was just more expedient that ways. For Lois, at times she sounded downright cruel but my head canon is that Lois doesn't understand that she is being mean. She thinks she's being helpful in her advice and since she really only thinks of Clark as this alien god, she thinks nothing of reminding him (all the time) he's not human._

 _In the end though, I tried to show that Lois did realize that it was Chloe that Clark needed and wanted (and vice versa) and though she may think Clark shouldn't waste time pretending to be something he's not, in the end it's his life to live and she's willing to support them._


End file.
